2008 January | whoorl

Running Revisited

January 19, 2008

Neither do I!

(This may or may not have stemmed from a recent 2-month sabbatical of sorts. It was just supposed to be a holiday thing, but um, YEAH.)

Regardless, I ended said sabbatical this morning.

It’s been awhile since I spoke of my ongoing quest for running gear and my final verdict, and I have some additions for those who ARE ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS.

Being that it’s in the high 40s during the morning, those Adidas shorts just aren’t hacking it. I had to conduct another highly scientific study (you know, trotting up and down the sidewalk with wine in hand) involving running tights, pants, capris, etc. I’m not really thrilled with running tights…they’re just so tight. On the other hand, the baggy pants interfere with my highly-athletic stride. (HA.)

These pants (actually, capris) from Nike seem to work very well. They are snug through the hips and thigh, but have a little flare at the bottom to keep my legs from looking like stuffed sausages. Plus, my legs stayed warm (but never got hot) and they wicked any sweat right away. Cool beans. Also, I scored a great deal on this jacket (perfect shade of green!) in the clearance section.

Just, you know, keeping you in the loop about my running because you care SO MUCH.

I’m still trying to find The Perfect Sports Bra For Running, though. Any suggestions?

COMMENTS (36)

hair thursday makeover 18

January 17, 2008

The ONE night I blow off my duties for Gossip Girl, and it’s a rerun. The audacity.

Let’s continue the theme of DIY, only this time, our next participant literally DIYed herself. (As in, snip snip.)

Meet Ashley.

Ashley au natural:

And Ashley – straight:

Ashley’s hair:

Thick, wavy and frizz-prone
Lots of volume
Usually takes around 10 minutes to style, unless she straightens which is 30-35 minutes (uses a wet-to-straight iron)
Once straightened, she can go a few days without washing
Finger combs while wavy, uses mousse
Recently cut her own hair (GASP!)

Ashley sent a great email about being a fairly recent college graduate and wanting a more mature look. (Which immediately conjured up visuals of Bea Arthur. How about “polished”?)

Some excerpts from Ashley’s questionnaire:

I have a preference for STYLE. That would be, make me look more mature/older!! (HUH?) Like you, I seem to look much younger than I am. (Already buttering me up – I like it.) I have had a similar hairstyle my whole life and since I recently graduated from college and am entering the working world, I’d love to look put together and polished. I don’t seem to have what it takes to make my hair look good (whatever THAT is?! products? tools? hair implants?!).

As for her current feelings about her hair:

I wear my hair up about 75% of the time. Maybe more. Either a messy bun or ponytail is my style of choice, I’m ashamed to admit. I think it’s mainly because I’m not happy with my hair. I like it when I straighten it, but is there any way around it taking nearly an HOUR!? If I run everyday, that means I have to shower and straighten it everyday. That’s like 2 hours total. I just can’t do that! It dries pretty well naturally, but if I go to sleep with wet hair…it’s curly city in the morning! When I put mousse in it, it’s SO easy (I let it air dry). But I don’t love having product laden hair everyday, you know what I mean? It’s not that my hair is too crunchy or anything, it just doesn’t feel as natural.

This situation sounds very similar to hair woes I’ve had in the past.

First off, the whole college into working world transition. I’ve been there. In fact, I was so determined to look “mature” after graduating college that I lopped off my completely healthy hair into a Posh bob (of course, it was 12 years ago. Posh was just a twinkle in the Spice Girls’ eyes at that time.)

Oh, but that wasn’t enough! I thought blond highlights would be sassy, yet stylish (?) and polished (?).

Something like this:

That’s my token happy drunk face, if you were wondering.

That hairstyle and the color involved HORRENDOUS UPKEEP. It wasn’t worth it. Why was I trying so hard when I had lovely hair to begin with? What can I say, it was my early twenties.

So, where am I going with all of this blabbering? Ashley doesn’t have to make huge changes to pull off a more polished look.

I don’t think Ashley should lop off her hair. 2-4 inches at most, grazing the shoulder would be ideal- giving her the most versatility possible. The focus needs to be on different styling methods. First off, Ashley has a great wave pattern. Some light layers starting in between her cheekbone and chin all around her head would give her waves and instant boost. (Please don’t do this yourself. PLEASE ASHLEY IBEGOFYOU.)

Long sideswept bangs could make a huge difference with little effort. Ashley already cut long bangs herself, but I think having a professional blend those front layers into her hair would be fantastic.

As for products, I would suggest using Aveda Be Curly or Pureology RealCurl. Both of these products are going to define the natural shape of Ashley’s waves while adding shine and smoothing frizz. I personally use both of these products on my waves, and I love them both.

If we focus on playing up Ashley’s waves on most days, the styling time will be kept to a minimum so she doesn’t need to spend hours after her runs (runs, heh). Of course, some days call for that polished look, and I would recommend using a flat iron for a sleek look, or a large-barreled curling iron for big bouncy waves.

Ashley, I am NOT a fan of the wet-to-dry flat iron. I think you need to splurge and get yourself a ceramic or tourmaline flat iron (eBay has great deals). I promise you, a ceramic flat iron will actually reduce the time you’ve been spending with the wet-to-dry iron. Why? Because you don’t need to dry your hair at all! If you are anticipating wearing your hair straight, wash your hair the night before, let it air dry or sleep on it, wake up looking like a hot mess, and get that flat iron out and get to work. It takes less time and is less damaging because you aren’t drying AND straightening.

Wow, I’m quite the chatterbox today. Let’s get to some photos.

(Yes, these are recycled photos. I have no choice, as I spent all of my allotted time talking about the glory days.)

Okay, both have layers. #1 has heavier sideswept bangs, #2 is more similar to what Ashley is sporting right now. Both cuts will look fantastic when straightened (WITH A CERAMIC FLAT IRON, ahem) and they still give Ashley the versatility she needs.

Oh my, I have carpal tunnel. Please put me out of my misery and vote.

COMMENTS (19)

hair thursday makeover 17

January 16, 2008

The HT theme of the week is Do It Yourself. Why am I sitting here typing this when I could be watching Gossip Girl? You all don’t need me!

Like Shawna, for instance.

Shawna’s hair:

Very thin and baby fine
Likes chin-length
Natural color is mousy brown, but has a front section with no pigment (white), so she highlights to blend
Hair gets oily by the day’s end

Shawna sent an email, as well as discussed her ongoing hair drama over here. In a nutshell, Shawna’s hair is extremely fine and thin, she can’t grow it too much longer without it looking stringy, and needs to highlight due to the pigment issue in the front. She just didn’t know how to remedy the situation.

Or did she?

Looking at her before photo, I thought her highlights looked lovely with her complexion. Beyond color, I was going to suggest keeping the bangs, trimming the ends about an inch, and keeping the layers. However, I wanted to suggest cutting back on the texturizing and/or side layers to give a fuller appearance.

I sent her an email asking if she needed to send an updated photo due to her submission from the days of yore, and she replied that she had just gotten her haircut.

And voila!

Bangs? Check.
Trimmed ends? Check.
Less texturizing? Check.
Quite lovely AND alleviating all of her concerns? Check.

Once again, WHY AM I HERE?

Don’t let the door smack your fine asses on the way out, ladies.

(Second participant coming tomorrow, but I really need to spend some quality time vapidly staring at my television screen tonight. Peace.)

COMMENTS (11)

The Miracle Ham Adventure

January 15, 2008

Friday, December 28th, 2007. The day that altered my life forever.

Picture this. A chilly day spent on my grandmother’s ranch in Oklahoma. After a fairly uneventful drive from Oklahoma City, we arrive with gifts in tow. Why, here we are, relaxing on (read: breaking) my grandma’s Lazy Boy.

Christmas at my grandmother’s home is a very relaxed affair. A down home meal, homemade pies, sweetened tea and some football. Usually, I end up sitting on the above chair for most of the 5-hour visit.

Except for this particular day- I heard my father and grandmother talking about some fantastic, life-altering ham and how he just HAD to have one to take back to the city. Some shuffling and jingling of keys ensued, and before I knew it, my dad was heading out the door.

Normally, this wouldn’t have phased me- I mean, it takes a lot to get my ass out of that fine leather chair, but for some reason, I found myself yelling, “Dad! I wanna go! Hold up!” He inquired incredulously, “You want to go pick up a HAM with me?”

“YesIwannagosomeonewatchmybabyokayfineseeya!”

Thus began our adventure to secure The Miracle Ham. Through two small towns and a very desolate 2-lane highway, the entire time listening to my father boast about a damn ham. “It isn’t injected with ANYTHING! Such smoky flavor! Hung to dry! Natural! The best flavor you’ve ever tasted!”

Luckily, I had his new iPhone to play with, thus counterbalancing the ham sermon. However, I was very careful to interject a well-placed “uh-huh…you don’t say…mmm, smoky” along the way.

I guess, in my mind, I assumed we were heading to a retail operation, such as a Honeybaked Ham store (although, YOU HAVE NOTHING ON THE MIRACLE HAM, FOOLS!) Little did I know that we were going to spend some quality time here:

The iPhone came in quite handy, you see.

I looked at my father and asked, “Is this, like, a meat production plant-type establishment?”

To which he replied, “I do reckon, little lady, now git over yonder!”

(My extremely suave and well-spoken father hasn’t lived in a small town since 1967, yet transforms into Smiley Burnette within a 20-mile radius of his old stomping grounds.)

We walked up to the door, me skittishly standing in my father’s new-found cowboy shadow, and what I saw next was marvelous.

A smoky office about the size of an elevator with what looked to be a 113-year-old woman sitting at a desk, smoking some Kool Menthols. Across the cluttered desk sat her grandson and great-grandkids, looking at us as if we were just transported from Mars.

Keep in mind, the Miracle Ham Establishment isn’t even located in a town. It is in the middle of nowhere, and I’m guessing the owner/operators of the MHE do not have daily run-ins with people donning winter white peacoats and iPhones. It was a little awkward on my part.

However, Smiley was having a ball.

“Well, HOWDY, Miss Jones! It’s me, Ronny! Arlene’s boy! How ya doing? I was hopin’ I could buy one of those deeelicious hams of yours. I’m fixin’ to head out to the big city, and I sure would like a taste!”

*insert overdramatic eye-rolling on my part*

However, my eye-rolling was cut short when I noticed the young great-grandson (10 years old, tops!) eyeing me like I was a juicy ham myself. People, he licked his lips and with great (and unnecessary) fervor.

Let’s see – Smiley Burnette in one corner, Kool Menthol Elder and 10-Year-Old Pervert in the other. Things couldn’t get much more uncomfortable when, all of the sudden, the front door busted open. As I peered through the thick smoke, I saw the silhouette of a Very Large Man yelling, “Give me my hooves! I need my hooves!”

Kool Menthol Elder – “Well, why on earth would you need some hooves?”

Very Large Man – “Because I’m building my GUN RACK! DO YA RECKON?”

10-Year-Old Pervert – *licking lips*

At this point, I was trying to silently delineate if pigs even had hooves, and if not, what kind of hooves did he mean? More importantly, WHY WAS I IN THIS SITUATION IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I quickly decided I was going to turn around and face the wall. Sure, it might look strange, but trust me, it was my best option.

I turned around, expecting a wall, when I realized it was a glass window. A glass window looking into the meat production “area”. Holy hell. May I just use a few words?

Pig. Parts. Blood. Rust. Raw. Machines.

I’ll let you take that for what it’s worth. I looked at my father and mouthed, “Halp.”

Thank God, at this point, a lovely lady (wearing the world’s bloodiest apron and a poorly-bandaged thumb) appeared with our Miracle Ham. Fantastic.

We said our goodbyes and made our way back to car, feeling much dirtier than before we left. (Well, at least on my part. Smiley was singing about billy goats or something.)

We returned to my grandmother’s house just in time for the big meal. And you know what? I ate two slices of The Miracle Ham.

Now, I’m not really a ham person, but that Miracle Ham? It was damn good.